» Fighter: Jason Lambert

Middleweight “Punisher” Jason Lambert (23-9) was released by the UFC after his rear naked choke submission loss to “Athlete” Jason MacDonald (19-10) at UFC 88 Breakthrough in Atlanta 6 September.

“The UFC said he needed to get some wins,” Jeff Clark, Lambert’s manager at North County Fight Club, told Fighters.com Tuesday.  Clark added that Lambert is entertaining contract offers from other promotions, but hasn’t made any commitments.

Lambert’s loss at UFC 88 was his debut at 185 pounds after fighting seven times in the Octagon at 205 pounds.  The loss was also Lambert’s third straight after beginning his UFC career with three straight wins.  He leaves the promotion even in the Octagon at 4-4.

Lambert’s biggest victory was a knockout of “Babalu” Renato Sobral (29-8) at UFC 68 in Columbus in March 2007.

“Sugar” Rashad Evans (12-0-1) knocked out Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked light heavyweight “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-6) with a right hook in the second round Saturday night in Atlanta.

Liddell lay unconcious on the canvas for several minutes after the punch.

Evans jitter-bugged around a stalking Liddell the entire fight.  Liddell never really got a beat on him, but landed a straight right in the first round.  Evans back-pedalled and taunted Liddell with a dance.

In the second round, Liddell lunged for an uppercut and took Evans’s counter right hook square on the jaw to end the fight at 1:51.

Franklin Finishes Friend

“Ace” Rich Franklin (24-3) TKO’d his friend and former training partner “Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-2) at 39 seconds of round three with a left kick to Hamill’s floating rib in Franklin’s return to 205.

Franklin had landed the same kick consistently through the first two rounds.  In the third, the kick dropped Hamill and Franklin landed two punches before referee Mario Yamasaki waved the fight off.

Read More About “Sugar” Rashad Stings Liddell…

Is “Athlete” Jason MacDonald (20-10) a terrorist?  MacDonald told Fighters.com that U.S. Immigration is suspicious about why he crosses the border from his native Canada so often.

Saturday in Atlanta, MacDonald enters the Octagon for the second time in less than a month versus “Punisher” Jason Lambert (23-8) and intends to make Lambert feel the 20 pounds Lambert is cutting to make 185 pounds for the first time.

The UFC made a middleweight bout between “Punisher” Jason Lambert (23-8) and “Dooms Day” Jason Day (17-7) official Thursday. They will meet in Atlanta 6 September on UFC 88’s undercard.

Lambert will drop from 205 pounds for this fight after being TKO’d in 2:07 by “Banha” Luis Arthur Cane (8-1) at his last fight in June. It was his second loss in a row.

Alberta’s Day was TKO’d in round one by “Count” Michael Bisping (16-1) at the same event.

Watching Fighters.com’s fifth-ranked welterweight Matt Hughes(42-7) TKO’d at 1:02 of the second round by younger, stronger, faster, and more complete (currently) sixth-ranked “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (15-3) last night at UFC 85 in London, I couldn’t help but recall the country boy whoopin’ Hughes put on the original Ultimate Fighter Royce Gracie (14-3-3) two-years ago.

Hughes stalked Alves for a takedown at the first bell, settling for bottom position by pulling guard, but never finding the submission opportunity he thought he could force.

Again, Hughes took the Brazilian to the mat mid-way through the first and smothered the kickboxer; but, Alves utilized butterfly guard to neutralize Hughes’s offense.

The only damage done on the mat in round one was after the confident “Pitbull” bulldogged the veteran to the mat and hammered a crevice in Hughes’s nose with an elbow strike.

Hughes, like Gracie at UFC 60, was impotent. Alves wasn’t falling for the tried and true tricks, wasn’t physically overwhelmed by the stocky farm boy from rural Illinois, and wasn’t intimidated by the future Hall of Famer’s legacy.

The second round was short; the end poignant.

Hughes ducked for the takedown that’s served as a sure-shot for ten years; and, Alves flew the distance between him and Hughes, colliding into Hughes’s right jaw with his left knee.

One punch later and referee Herb Dean waved off the fight, and, officially, the Matt Hughes era.

Alves never doubted the outcome, but remained humble while pleading from the Octagon, “Mr. Dana White, I’ve been a good boy, please give me a title shot!”

“He got me, no doubt,” Hughes admitted.

For Hughes, there remains a grudge match with fourth-ranked “Terror” Matt Serra (9-5), then a lot of prayer and consultation with his family for the proudly Christian husband and father of two.

Read More About Alves Amazing, Werdum Top Heavyweight Contender…